


Lessons Learned

by Evil_Little_Dog



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist
Genre: Community: fma_fic_contest, Gen, Kid Fic, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-24
Updated: 2013-01-24
Packaged: 2017-11-26 19:14:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/653525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evil_Little_Dog/pseuds/Evil_Little_Dog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary:  Ed finds class boring. <br/>Disclaimer:  No no, never never, uh uh uh.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lessons Learned

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt, 'skip'.

Ed was pretty sure he could hear Winry snoring over whatever Mrs. Coyle was saying up at the front of the classroom. He hated the time wasted in school when there was so much alchemy they needed to learn before they tried to bring their mom back from the dead. Nudging Al, he pointed at a page in the alchemy book he’d brought from home. More intricate than any of the other transmutation circles he’d seen, Ed thought it might be something they’d need to investigate. 

“Ooo!” Al burst out. 

Mrs. Coyle turned around. “Who said that?” She peered over the top of her glasses at the kids. 

A few papers rustled. Judging from the area of the room it came from, Michael Todd was the one trying to keep from laughing. Mrs. Coyle tapped her stick of chalk on the board. “All right, who can diagram this sentence for me?” Her beady eyes searched the room. 

Ducking his head behind the book, Al whispered, “That’s a great circle!” 

“I know!” Ed beamed at his brother. 

“Mrs. Coyle,” Nelly said, waving her hand, “Winry’s sleeping again.” 

“Please wake her up, Nelly. Edward Elric?” 

He jumped at the sound of his name, and peeked up over the top of his study book – and the alchemy book hiding behind it. “Yes, Mrs. Coyle?”

“Would you like to come up here and diagram this sentence for the class?” 

“Not really,” he said, and grinned widely as most of the guys in class started laughing. 

Mrs. Coyle didn’t laugh, though; she folded her arms and glared at him. “Edward, get up here.” 

He glared back, shoving his chair back hard enough to make it squeal. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, as he started up to the front of the class. Taking the chalk from Mrs. Coyle, Ed studied the sentence she’d written on the black board. _The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog._ Why a fox would jump over a dog didn’t make any sense at all. Was the fox being hunted? Was a farmer chasing the fox? He turned to Mrs. Coyle, his mouth opening. 

She pointed at the board. “Just diagram the sentence, Ed.” 

With a scowl, he twirled the chalk in his fingers, glancing over his shoulder for a second. Al gave him a nervous grin and a thumb’s up. Winry blinked at him, rubbing her eyes. Pitt just shrugged. Ed offered the chalk back to Mrs. Coyle. 

Accepting it, she asked, “Are you giving up already?” 

“Not giving up,” Ed grumbled, “I just don’t know how to diagram a sentence.” He plowed on, “It’s not like I’m going to need to know how to anyway! It’s useless knowledge, not like – like – knowing when to plant or how to fix a leaky roof.” Those were things Mom had said were important, and she ought to know, right? “Or how to draw a perfect circle!”

Mrs. Coyle folded her arms again. “A perfect circle?” 

“Sure, for transmutations!” 

“So, you think that grammar isn’t good for anything? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?” 

Ed shrugged. “I don’t see any use for it. Maybe you could let me skip those classes, and just study science and math instead? It’s a lot more interesting!” 

After the noise in the classroom died down, Mrs. Coyle said she wanted to see him after school. She insisted on Winry staying after, too. Al waited for them outside the school house, and made a face when they came through the door. “What happened?” 

Waving a piece of paper, Ed said, “Got a note to take to the old woman.” He didn’t get it. It wasn’t like the note would make it home anyway – Ed would make sure of that, even if Al whined and said Granny Pinako ought to read it. And Winry would still sleep through classes when she’d stay up late the night before, looking at her mom’s and dad’s old doctor books. Wasn’t going to change anything. 

And the sooner Mrs. Coyle figured that out, the better. 

 


End file.
